Health psychologist

Health psychologists apply psychological knowledge to promote positive lifestyles and help patients manage their physical and mental health

You'll support patients, and their family, friends or carers, to understand their illness and the impact it can have on their emotions and behaviour.

Health psychologists, sometimes referred to as clinical health psychologists, often work within a multidisciplinary team (MDT), alongside other healthcare professionals. Such as GPs, nurses, surgeons, dieticians and rehabilitation specialists, as well as clinical psychologists and other health psychologists.

Types of health issues requiring psychologist support

You may support patients with a range of different acute or chronic health conditions, including:

• serious illness, such as cancer, where major life adjustments need to be made
• cardiac rehabilitation
• long-term poor diet and lack of exercise - associated with lifestyle choices
• diabetes or other long-term health issues requiring ongoing management
• pain management
• smoking cessation
• vaccination uptake
• stress-induced illnesses.

Responsibilities

As a health psychologist, you'll need to:

• identify behaviours that may damage your patients' health, for example, smoking, substance abuse, physical inactivity and poor diet, and support them to take preventative measures to manage these
• explore your patients' behaviour in relation to their health conditions to identify appropriate psychological interventions that can be used to support them
• develop interventions to address your patients' health beliefs and empower them to develop their own sense of control over their health issues
• encourage positive healthcare behaviours, in line with the most recent health advice, such as healthy eating, attending health checks, maintaining good hygiene and sleep hygiene, and regular exercise
• take a person-centred approach towards looking at the psychological impact of illness on patients, families and carers, and support them to manage this
• provide information and advice to a range of individuals and organisations involved in public health, such as the NHS and local authorities, to improve best practice within the healthcare industry
• advise health professionals on how to improve their communication of sensitive and health-related information with their patients
• conduct psychological assessments of patients using interviews and psychometrics
• develop formulations to better understand, and help your patients to understand, their illness and its impact on their health
• attend MDT meetings to discuss patient care.

With experience, you may also need to:

• train and mentor trainee psychologists
• provide clinical and professional supervision for trainees and less experienced psychologists
• manage a team including other psychologists, assistant psychologists and other health staff
• manage, audit and develop health psychology services
• share expert knowledge and advise individuals, or small groups of clients, on managing their health within a consultancy role.

See higher education lecturer for additional responsibilities if you're employed in an academic setting.

Salary

• Trainee health psychologists in the NHS start at £35,392 (Band 6) of the Agenda for Change - pay rates.
• After qualification, salaries in the NHS start at £43,742, rising to £50,056 (Band 7).
• More experienced psychologists can earn between £50,952 and £68,525 (Bands 8a and 8b), with consultant health psychologists earning salaries of £70,417 to £96,376 (Bands 8c and 8d).

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

NHS health psychologists also receive additional benefits including a good pension and an NHS blue light discount card.

Research and lecturing posts at universities often follow academic and related staff scales. For salary details, see the University and College Union (UCU).

More experienced health psychologists, and those working in private healthcare, may have a higher salary. Health psychologists in senior positions may work with complex client cases and be expected to take on additional leadership responsibilities.

Working hours

Health psychologists usually work a 37.5-hour week, although this may vary based on the organisation that you are employed by. Many employers offer flexible working arrangements, such as varied working hours and part-time work.

If you're a self-employed health psychologist, you could work from home, but may also need to work some evenings or weekends to suit your clients' needs.

Some health psychologists combine part-time work in academia with NHS or independent private practice work or choose to follow a full-time academic career.

What to expect

• Supervision by more experienced colleagues is essential before qualifying as a health psychologist, and important throughout your career.
• There are opportunities to specialise in working with patients that have a particular group of health conditions, including oncological, haematological, chronic pain, chronic fatigue and eating disorders.
• The work can be challenging and upsetting, but also rewarding, as it involves contact with different types of people who are unwell and often distressed.

Qualifications

To practise as a health psychologist in the UK, and use this title, you must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), which involves training at postgraduate level.

You'll need to complete a BPS-accredited first degree in psychology, or a BPS-accredited conversion course if you don't have a psychology degree, to achieve Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). For a full list of GBC qualifying courses see the BPS Accredited Psychology Courses.

Postgraduate training is typically conducted in two stages, involving the completion of a BPS-accredited Masters degree in health psychology (stage 1), followed by a stage 2 qualification. Due to these courses being highly competitive, you'll usually need a 2:1 or above, and some relevant experience, such as work, volunteering, or a research-based Masters. However, you should check with individual institutions as entry requirements vary. The knowledge you gain at this stage will support you in the second stage of training, where you can begin to develop your practice under supervision.

To progress to stage 2 training, you'll typically need a merit or distinction in your Masters, and further evidence of relevant work experience. It can take approximately two to four years to become qualified after completing your Masters, and involves taking either the BPS Qualification in Health Psychology Stage 2 (QHP Stage 2) or a BPS-accredited Doctorate in Health Psychology (which must be approved by the HCPC). Both stage 2 routes lead to eligibility to apply for chartered BPS membership, full membership of the Division of Health Psychology and entry to the HCPC register as a health psychologist. To progress to stage 2, you'll need to be working in an appropriate health-related role, for example as a trainee health psychologist.

If you follow the BPS independent practice route, leading to the QHP Stage 2, you'll need to complete a minimum of two years' structured supervised practice (or the part-time equivalent), submit a portfolio demonstrating your skills and knowledge in health psychology, and undertake an oral exam.

If you follow the Doctorate route, you'll need to apply for a course that leads to a Doctoral qualification in health psychology and provides the equivalent of a minimum of two years full-time practice placement. As part of the course, you'll undergo a supervised practice incorporating the five key health psychology competencies and you will usually be required to source your own placement prior to being accepted on the course. Check individual courses for course content and assessment methods.

More information about qualifications in health psychology are available from:

• NHS Course Finder
• BPS Division of Health Psychology.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• a good understanding of advancements and advice in the healthcare industry
• the ability to apply your knowledge of academic psychology and research to health-related problems
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills for communicating health information to patients, carers and members of the MDT
• critical thinking and analytical skills for applying statistical and written data within a research environment
• self-motivation and the ability to work independently
• teamworking skills and the ability to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines
• time management and organisation skills
• a strong understanding of the profession and the role of a health psychologist, as well as an awareness of current NHS and public health issues
• a compassionate and empathetic approach to work
• emotional resilience to support people with health problems of varying severities.

Work experience

Entry onto both stage 1 and stage 2 courses can be competitive, so it's advisable to get some relevant work experience before applying. This can be paid or voluntary work and, although not essential, should be related to the patient group that you want to specialise in working with after graduating.

Relevant health psychology opportunities include any role where you can support people with physical or mental health conditions, or where you can support people to make positive changes in their lives, such as in a rehabilitation unit. Work shadowing a chartered health psychologist, or finding work in other healthcare roles, such as a healthcare assistant, support worker, assistant psychologist, or low-intensity therapist, are also valuable work experiences.

If you're considering a career in health psychology research, experience as a research assistant is also relevant and it's helpful to have a good balance of experience in both academic and applied health areas.

You can look for work experience in places such as:

• clinical and health centres
• community and public health settings
• health research units
• public health departments.

Voluntary or paid work in other areas such as nursing, social work, care work, mental health work or services for individuals with disabilities is also useful. Check with individual institutions for the extent and type of experience they're looking for.

At stage 2, health psychology trainees are usually expected to source their own two-year supervised practice placement. Sometimes, this may need to be secured prior to applying for a stage 2 qualification.

For free mentoring resources and experiences designed to support aspiring healthcare and legal professionals - including virtual work experience that is accepted by medical schools, see Medic Mentor.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Health psychologists have the flexibility to work for various employers across public or private healthcare, the education system or within the third sector, and some may take on a joint appointment between more than one type of employer.

However, the NHS and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (HSC) are the main employers of health psychologists. Opportunities are available in a range of professional contexts, including:

• charities
• community and public health settings
• general practice
• health research units
• local authorities
• local clinics and health centres
• private hospitals
• public health departments
• university departments.

Health consultancies also employ health psychologists in areas such as training, research or intervention skills. You might also choose to be self-employed within your own consultancy company.

In universities, you may work in various departments such as psychology, medicine, nursing, dentistry and pharmacy, where you can take on lecturing, research and supervision responsibilities.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Jobs.ac.uk - for jobs in academia
• Jobs in Psychology
• NHS Jobs
• NHSScotland Jobs

Vacancies may also be advertised in the local and national press and on hospital websites.

Professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is both an integral part of your career and a requirement of your HCPC registration and chartered membership of the BPS.

This ongoing development should include a mixture of directed and self-directed activities. These include:

• post-qualification courses, which help to develop your knowledge of different theoretical approaches
• professional supervision
• lecturing, teaching or giving presentations
• attending workshops or conferences
• conducting research, and writing articles or papers
• mentoring, supervising or assessing trainees
• development of expertise with a particular client group.

You'll need to keep an up-to-date and accurate record of your professional development activities, showing that your CPD contributes to the quality of your practice and service delivery and is beneficial to your patients.

More information can be found at the BPS Professional Development Centre.

Career prospects

Once you've qualified, and gained some experience as a health psychologist, you can apply for more senior roles.

You could take on a related role, such as a high-intensity therapist, or roles such as principal health psychologist, consultant health psychologist or head of a psychological service. These positions require many years of experience working in applied settings and also typically include managing and supervising trainees, or less experienced, health psychologists.

At consultant level, your workload may be quite broad, supporting multiple teams or a department. Alternatively, it may be very specific, focusing on your specialism.

It's also possible to pursue a career as a health psychologist in academia. You're likely to spend much of your time in the first few years building up your teaching skills and experience and developing your research profile. If you’re based in a university setting, you may teach and supervise trainee health psychologists and other healthcare professionals. To progress your career, you'll need to keep an active research profile and show a willingness to take on different roles.